


RWBY: Days of Yule

by dongyrn, Silvana_Crowe



Category: RWBY
Genre: And Dragons Too, As Usual Zero Regrets, But No Sparkly Ones I Promise, Christmas Fluff, Collateral Damage, Don't Forget The Vampires, F/F, Freezerburn - Freeform, Ladybug - Freeform, Multi, My God All The Ships, Oh, Purruby, Schneekos - Freeform, Unless They're Wearing Tinsel, Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines - Freeform, Yuletide 2016, arkos, it's so fluffy I'm gonna die, pink lemonade - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-09 20:30:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8910931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dongyrn/pseuds/dongyrn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvana_Crowe/pseuds/Silvana_Crowe
Summary: Join the familiar cast of RWBY as I take a journey through my published stories and celebrate the holidays with the characters of some of the more popular ones, from one-shots to epic multichaptered goodness. One chapter to be posted for every day leading up to Christmas Day, in chronological order of the story's publish date.





	1. A Pink Lemonade Yuletide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First up we have my initial foray into writing RWBY fanfiction, the fluffy series of stories starting with Pink Lemonade. Pink Lemonade (Collateral Damage), Ladybug, and North Pole (Schneekos) represented here. This first chapter is brought to you by the very talented **Silvana_Crowe**.

_The sun was warm on her face as she lay_ _in the grass with her eyes closed. A breeze blew gently through her hair, rustling it and whistling in her ears. She felt truly peaceful, and the only thing that could make this moment better would be the presence of her lovely girlfriend._

" _Blakey… Blakey…"_

_The cat faunus shifted, hearing Ruby calling from what sounded like a distance away. She tried to open her eyes but the sun was too bright. Maybe if she blocked it with her hand-_

"BLAKE!"

"Oof!" The impact of her girlfriend's smaller body on top of her own jolted the raven haired girl rudely awake. She threw a hand up to cover her eyes from the early morning sun coming through the window and groaned. "Ruby… what is it?"

"It's _Yule_ , Blakey! We have to get up! Today's the day we get presents!" As she continued to babble, Ruby bounced on the bed, causing Blake to let out another sleepy groan. The brunette began gently tugging on her sleepy girlfriend's arm, extracting her from the warm cocoon of blankets on their shared bed. She should be used to it by now anyway, having been coming to the Xiao Long household for winter break since she got together with Ruby. Just because it was their last year at Beacon, didn't mean they needed to change a good thing!

The two young women entered kitchen, passing a sleepy looking Weiss and Pyrrha curled up on the couch in the living room. Taiyang was up and awake, laughing at his eldest daughter as she tried to fend off her excited girlfriend while remaining half-asleep.

"Ruby!" Yang sighed in relief as Nora noticed the brunette girl, giving Blake a sleepy smile as the faunus joined her at the table to watch their girlfriends bounce around the room with Zwei running around their feet.

"Dad, how are you even awake right now? I know you were up forever last night," Yang griped, her head hitting the table.

"You somehow forget, kid, I have two daughters. This is nothing new," he replied with a laugh, though he was nice enough to bring over a mug of coffee for his eldest and one of tea for Blake, receiving a muffled thank you from both of them. "Well," he grinned, planting his hands on his hips. "I guess that since everyone's up, we can do presents now!" The blond man laughed at the cheers from the only other fully awake people currently inhabiting his house.

It didn't take long to get everyone into the living room, though getting everyone to either stay awake or sit still was proving to be more difficult. Nora solved Yang's problem by sitting on her lap, making it easy to poke her awake whenever she needed to, while Blake had woken up to the point that she was keeping Ruby from running around the room in her excitement, though she did let the smaller girl get up from their place on the floor every once in awhile to keep the third couple in the room coherent enough for presents. It helped that Ruby knew how she felt about Zwei and had promised not to leave her alone with the dog that was now napping near the tree.

Ruby received an assortment of candy, cookies, and gun parts, topped off with a little black cat plush toy from Blake. Blake, in turn, had books, new gloves, and a brand new bunch of hair bow ribbons which were from Ruby. Taiyang had been gifted some rather odd gag gifts from his girls, as well as a few kind, if somewhat impersonal, gifts from the others. Pyrrha loved the panda hat that her fiancée gave her, and smiled sweetly at the look on Weiss' face when the other girl unwrapped the blue crystal butterfly hairpiece. Yang got a pair of monogrammed boxing gloves from Nora, as well as something that made her start laughing loudly even as she quickly closed the box again to keep anyone else from seeing inside.

When it came time for Nora to open her present from Yang, the blonde girl seemed nervous. She handed her girlfriend a card, which the pinkette opened to read.

_Roses are red, Violets are blue,_  
_No adventure of mine could be complete without you.  
_ _Will you marry me?_

She looked up in shock to find Yang on one knee, holding a yellow-gold ring with a pink stone. The room was silent as Nora stared at her increasingly nervous girlfriend.

"Well?"

Nora let out a shriek as she lunged for the blonde, who yelped as she was tackled to the floor. As kisses rained on her face, Yang managed to quip, "I guess that's a yes?" She laughed as the shorter girl nodded frantically and gently put the ring she'd somehow miraculously maintained a hold of onto Nora's finger.

Everyone looked away to give the somewhat emotional pair a little privacy, smiling softly at how happy they were. Taiyang was feeling somewhat nostalgic, one of his babies having just gotten engaged and the other being in a loving relationship, both in their last year at Beacon. He hoped Summer was able to see how happy they were now.

Pyrrha and Weiss linked their hands together, Weiss' ring cool against their fingers, as they thought about the wedding they had been planning for after graduation, something so close now.

Ruby glanced at Blake, catching her eyes. The warmth in them made her happy, knowing that while neither of them were quite ready for that step yet themselves, when they were they would face it happily together, as they would with anything else life threw their way.

A cleared throat brought everyone's attention back to the newly engaged couple, both looking flushed and ecstatic, as they sat back on their part of the couch with their hands held tightly together. The ring glittered softly in the morning light streaming through the windows from Nora's finger. Before anyone could offer congratulations, the sound of an airship from outside the house alerted them to visitors.

As Taiyang nonchalantly got up, he glanced at the room in general. "That's probably Qrow. He said he'd be a little late. Got tied up with something."

Ruby jumped up with a grin, bursting out the door just before her father to go jump on her uncle as soon as he exited the Bullhead. By the time the others all made it outside, Qrow had Ruby hanging off his back and was conversing with his old teammate.

Weiss stood towards the back of the group with Pyrrha, waiting to go back inside to continue with their day. As she was leaning slightly against her fiancée, she felt as much as heard the gasp emitted. Startled, she looked up at the redhead who glanced back with widened eyes before smiling and gesturing for the other girl to look at the airship. Doing so, Weiss felt her eyes go wide as well at the figure now standing at the side of the ship. She whispered, "Winter?"

The woman looked up at that moment, giving Weiss all the answer she needed. "Winter!" she cried, flying through the group to hug her older sister tightly. "How are you here? Not that I'm not grateful, I am, I'm so glad to see you! But I thought father was keeping an eye on you so you couldn't contact me?"

Winter smiled softly down at the sister she had seen so rarely since the younger had defied their father and extracted herself from his grasp. "It would seem," she began, "that General Ironwood knows Qrow. Someone decided that it would be a good idea to pull some strings. I'm officially out scouting the Atlesian border for Grimm, something that could take quite some time. Some of the areas have rather horrible scroll signal as well, so communication is rare and infrequent. There's nothing that can be done, really, and the General has apologized for having to send me so far away, seeing as one should spend time with family at this time of year." By the end of her explanation, Weiss was standing there shocked. It took a second, but she finally released her sister long enough to turn to the raven haired man standing with the rest of the familial group behind her.

"Thank you, Qrow." Her voice sounded more choked up than she wished, but she was too happy to really care.

"Don't thank me, kid. Wasn't my idea, I just got enough disregard for rules to go through with it and enough strings that I can pull to make it happen. Should be thanking that team of yours," he grumbled back, shrugging his shoulders and sticking his hands in his pockets.

Weiss smiled at her team, who all smiled back at her, thanking them softly before turning back to her sister. "Would you like to officially meet my fiancée?"

"I would love to."

Taiyang grinned, clapping his hands lightly as he started to speak. "Great! Now that everyone's here, we can go do breakfast! Hey Qrow, you should congratulate Yang. She just got herself engaged."

The winter air was full of laughter and voices calling back and forth as the group made to re-enter the house. Weiss couldn't help but think, as she watched her team, her _family_ , go inside, that though it may be a bit crowded, she had no doubt that everyone would feel welcomed and at home, something she had never had with all the space in her old home in Atlas.

"Come. We can speak more inside." Winter gently placed her hand on her sister's shoulder, seeing the tall redhead Weiss was engaged to waiting calmly for the siblings to make their way towards the house. She was pleased to see the love in the gaze directed towards the younger platinum haired woman, though she would still be having a talk with her. She needed to be certain her sister would be safe, especially now.

Later that day, as the sun was replaced by the shattered moon and the house fell quiet while everyone took some time to themselves before dinner, Yang and Nora cuddled up watching the stars while lying on top of the roof.

"I love you, Blondie." Nora smiled down at the ring she now had, unable to wait for the next time that she could call Ren to share what had transpired. Even if he already probably knew this was going to happen. He was weird like that.

"Love you too, Nora. Happy Yule." The blonde bruiser pressed a kiss to the top of her fiancée's head.

"Happy Yule!" The pinkette giggled back, tilting her head up for a proper kiss. And if it went further than that, well; it's not as if they were in the house where anyone could stumble upon them, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Silvana_Crowe A/N:** Thanks to everyone who read this! It's been awhile since I've had any work I've done posted, so getting to add onto this story was a treat. It was also a lot of fun! I always love a good excuse to write fluff, even if I don't actually, you know, _need_ an excuse. Let the countdown to Christmas commence!
> 
>  **Dongyrn A/N:** If you've never read this series of stories, or are of a mind to re-read them, I did compile them into a single, easier-to-read multichaptered story here on AO3, entitled _[RWBY: The Pink Lemonade Compendium](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8179202)_.
> 
> Thanks for reading this first chapter, I hope you enjoyed **Silvana_Crowe** 's wonderful little ball of fluff! Next up, we'll revisit my lovely OC ladies from _Pearls on a String_.
> 
> Stay shiny!


	2. Pearls for the Holidays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for those who haven't read this story, _[Pearls on a String](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8181107)_ was a rather lengthy OC spin-off of a one-shot featuring a much older, grizzled Ruby, called _[Retired](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8181034)_. This particular chapter takes place during Team PERL's third year at Beacon, which is set forty years after the events of RWBY.

"This will be fine," Beryl muttered under her breath. "Fine, it'll be just fine…"

"Sweetie, please calm down," her girlfriend murmured reassuringly. Evie ran her hand in circles along the diminutive girl's back, trying to ease away the stress. "We're going to see your parents, not mine, there's nothing to worry about."

"I know, I know I shouldn't be so… ugh." The blue-haired girl wearily leaned into her Mate's embrace, holding onto the hand of the Cat Faunus' arm now wrapped around her. She smiled softly as a black furred tail also snaked around to wrap around her waist. "I'm just a little anxious, okay? You've met my dad, but with both of my parents at once…"

"You do not think they would object to the two of you, do you, dear?" her partner inquired from across the aisle of the airbus.

"No, Lustre, I know they'll be cool with it, just… They're a bit… smothering."

"Eh, it'll be fine, babe," their team leader yawned as she stretched her lanky frame out before pulling the braid of blonde hair back over her shoulder. "Besides, you'll have us along, right… _peanut_?"

"Pip, I will eviscerate you in your sleep tonight," Beryl growled at the use of her detested nickname from her parents. In fact, the only thing she might hate more was the use of her given first name.

"See, feeling better already," Evie laughed lightly. "Making threats against our fearless leader."

"Well, it would not be a day in Team Pearl without threats to life and limb," Lustre agreed with a smile.

Beryl rolled her eyes but couldn't conceal the grin that crept across her face. She'd been an only child growing up, the diminutive blue-haired girl feeling like the runt of a litter of one, especially compared to her mammoth father. But she'd trained long and hard to lift her oversized shield, _Dahl_ , wielding it with eventual skill alongside her sword _Shashka_ as a member of one of the best teams at Beacon. Easily within the top five of all student teams on Remnant itself, were she to give her opinion on the matter.

All this came at the detriment of what some might consider a normal figure for a girl of her age. She often bemoaned the fact that she was burdened with the body of a muscular twelve-year-old, but the affections and reassurances of her girlfriend, now Mate, went a long way to improve her self-image.

Especially the way Evie looked at her when undressing like she were the most beautiful creature she'd ever laid eyes upon. She couldn't quite comprehend it, really, but with the link they now shared through the Mark, an easy two-way street thanks to their Aura Bond, she knew how genuine the Cat Faunus' feelings were for her.

_Love. Acceptance. Warmth. Belonging._

There was always an undercurrent of awe and incredulity in the feelings they shared as if neither girl could quite believe they'd ended up lucky enough to find their true Mate. Someone who was their best friend first and foremost, someone they respected and loved with all of their very being.

Beryl sighed softly as she snuggled further into her lover's embrace, relishing in the soothing feelings that were pouring across their bond.

"You're right," she admitted with a wry smile. "I'm just fretting for no reason. This will be great, having everyone together for Yule."

"It's gonna be a lot of traveling," Pip warned, though she seemed as unconcerned with the prospect as she would ever be, even when faced with insurmountable odds. "After here, we go see my mom and Glory, then hit the Black household…"

"At least that will not be overnight," her raven-haired partner interjected. "A family as big as mine, there's really no place for us to stay."

The blonde shrugged with an easy grin, flipping her braid back over her shoulder once more. "Yeah, we can sleep on the airship ride to Mistral. I'm glad we're spending Yule itself there, between Lustre's parents and then Aunt Pyrrha and Uncle Jaune."

"And Merri will be there as well, correct?" the dark-skinned woman inquired softly. She'd struck up a fast friendship with Pip's boisterous cousin, the two of them of a like mind concerning the avoidance of relationships altogether.

"Yep, and a whole bunch more," their team leader grinned widely. "Lotsa aunts and uncles I haven't met yet, and cousins… Oh! That reminds me, my mom and sister want to travel with us to Mistral, that cool with you guys?"

"I don't see why not," Evie returned, though a smirk briefly flitted across her features. "Will Tim be coming along?"

"I… Er, that is… I dunno for sure…" Pip's faced was flushed as it usually was when the Wolf Faunus boy was brought up. Theirs was a contentious, tentative relationship.

"She started out so strong," Beryl sighed with false moroseness. "Hated his guts right away."

"And then she fell for his charms," Evie added, the gleeful undertone to her words difficult to conceal.

"Sad to see someone fall so far from grace…"

"Another victim to a pair of golden eyes…"

Pip let out an irritable huff, unused to being on the receiving end of such teasing. "You guys suck," she grumbled mildly.

"Yes, dear," Lustre stated soothingly, giving her a pat on the arm. "And yet we love you anyway."

A sudden lurch to the airbus brought their bantering to a halt. The door across the way slowly lowered, and a cheerful voice over the intercom announced their arrival at the village of New Hope.

The four girls readily grabbed their baggage and weapons, their status as Huntresses-in-training allowing them the leeway of traveling armed, and headed onto the landing platform. Their welcoming committee was readily apparent, if not by the size then from the booming voice that seemingly echoed off of the nearby mountains.

"RADIANCE BERYL!"

"And here we go," the blue-haired girl sighed with a rueful smile.

"Hey, at least he didn't call you 'peanut' right away," Evie snickered.

Corvid Beryl, towering over the rest of the passengers and residents of the village, strode over towards the disembarked team, grinning widely behind his bushy black beard. "Ah, Dust, it's good to see you again, peanut!"

"Nevermind," the Cat Faunus laughed softly at her girlfriend's indignant groan.

The crowd parted before the giant Ursa of a man like waves before the prow of a dark battleship. Soon enough, Beryl's father was sweeping all four of them into a hug. Impressively enough, he managed to do so all at once.

"Welcome to New Hope!" he boomed heartily. "And how have you girls been?"

"Good," Pip squeaked out, buried somewhere between Lustre and the man's bicep. "Um, can we get on the ground again, please?"

"Oh, my apologies!" he chuckled loudly, setting them all on their feet once more. The four girls readily clung to each other until their balance was restored. "I'm just so very happy you all took us up on the invitation! Now, come along, girls, the missus has been cooking all day long!"

"Did she make the honey mustard?" Beryl asked, an excited gleam in her bronze eyes.

"Of course she did, peanut! It wouldn't be a family Yule without that for the ham!"

"Awesome," the blue-haired girl giggled, before shaking her head at the looks her team was giving her. "You don't understand," she proclaimed, "but you soon will."

"Okaayyy," Pip drawled. "If you say so."

"So, then, are you still treating my Radiance right, Miss Black?" Corvid inquired, his voice easily carrying over the sounds of the crowded streets. They were walking along the main thoroughfare of the walled village, the shops and streetlamps decked out with boughs and tinsel.

Evie blushed slightly. "Er, yes, sir, I do try, anyway…"

"I'm sure you do," Corvid chuckled. "A good relationship is based on love, friendship, and a warm bed, I always say…"

"Dad!" Beryl squeaked out.

"Oh, come on now, Radiance, we're all adults here! I'm sure you and your… Mate, yes? That is the correct term?"

"Yes sir," Evie nodded, a slight smile on her face from how readily Beryl's father seemed to be taking their status since the previous summer. They'd not had a chance to meet with Beryl's parents since, and while her lover had reassured her often that they were perfectly fine with their relationship, the blue-haired girl could tell over their bond how relieved Evie was to witness it first-hand.

"Very well… So, you and your Mate are sure to keep each other entertained between the sheets, yes?"

"Oh, for the love of Dust," Beryl groaned, burying her beet-red face in her hands.

"Oh, yeah, they sure do," Pip laughed merrily. "Sometimes while we're still in the room, but we pretend to not notice."

"Hmm, yes I do recall that as being particularly problematic in a four-person dorm," Corvid rumbled thoughtfully. "Why, I remember my time at Beacon, when-"

"Oum's balls, no!" Beryl shouted, her crimson face a match to that of her lover's. "I _so_ do not need to hear about your sex life in school, dad! Even less than I want you to hear about mine!"

"Language, Radiance," her father reprimanded mildly.

Pip, of course, was laughing silently, tears streaming down her face, while Lustre wrapped a comforting arm around her partner.

"So, Mr. Beryl," the silver-haired girl spoke up hurriedly, "this is the village your daughter grew up in? How long have you lived here?"

"Ah, yes, well, me and the missus moved here right after we married," Corvid stated, a soft smile making the bristles of his beard twitch. "Fresh out of school, I was, and eager to protect those who needed it. Alice, now, she always wanted to live out on the frontier, and New Hope was one of the more successful of the outlying settlements."

The towering man paused in his gait, drawing the sword from his back and using it as a pointer. In any other man's grip, it would have required two hands, but he hefted it easily in one meaty paw. "You see, the Vale mountains are close enough to provide natural borders, with the sea just on the other side of that forest. So all we need to worry about…" His sword swung back to point directly west. "...Is one front, and for that we have regular patrols and watchtowers. Plenty of good folk living here, retired and active Huntsmen alike as well."

"It's a good place to live," Beryl agreed, her earlier mortification eased somewhat. "Plenty of resources and enough people to maintain a school and workshop…"

Corvid nodded amicably as he sheathed his greatsword and continued on their trek. "I volunteer at the blacksmithery every weekend," he stated. "We all pull multiple duties, but we manage to get by well enough."

"It all seems very nice," Lustre smiled. "The populace seems quite happy."

"Crowded, though," Evie frowned slightly as she dodged another group of laughing children as they scrambled by.

"Ah, well, with the holidays upon us, we have more visitors than usual," Corvid chuckled. "Plenty of family returning, just like you!"

Beryl grinned as she pulled Evie a bit closer to her. They were almost home now, and she couldn't wait to show her friends, her sisters, where she'd grown up.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

 

Alice Beryl had taken an instant liking to all of her daughter's teammates, Evie in particular. The slim woman, long blue braid hanging down past her waist, immediately pulled the Cat Faunus into the kitchen with her to assist with the last-minute preparations, and soon enough the two of them were laughing merrily and exchanging stories as if they'd known each other for years.

Pip, meanwhile, was perched across from Corvid and frowning down at a game of checkers currently underway. "So, lemme get this straight... "

"Mmhmm," the man rumbled before taking a long pull from his bottle of homebrew.

"You're absolutely sure you saw this?"

"Sure as my own beard."

The blonde pushed one of the red pieces forward and then sat back, arms crossed and a smirk on her face. "I call Grimmshit."

"Grimmshit?" he barked out with a laugh.

"Corvid Beryl, you mind your language!" his wife scolded from the kitchen.

"Yes, dear," he grumbled. "Now, young lady, why would you say such a thing?"

"'Cause I don't believe you," Pip grinned. "There's no way you saw two Ursas goin' at it like that."

His massive shoulders shrugged once. "I saw what I saw."

"Grimm don't have sex!"

"Well, those Ursa were doing a bang-up job of it."

The blonde threw her head back and laughed uproariously. "Oh, nice one, I saw what you did there!"

Just then, the slender matriarch of the Beryl family stepped out, holding a large pot with her mitten-encased hands. "Corvid, are you telling that story again?"

"Now, dear," he placated, jumping up to take the pot from his wife and placing it on the table with his bare hands. "It's just a bit of fun…"

"And totally untrue."

"Now, listen here, woman, I'll have you know…"

Alice stood with her hands on her hips, staring up at the man who easily loomed two feet over her, an unimpressed look on her face.

Her husband fidgeted for only a brief moment before he hung his head in defeat. "Perhaps it was a bit… embellished…"

"That's what I thought," Alice replied smugly, turning back towards the kitchen. "Evie, I saw that, no sneaking tastes from the honey mustard!"

"But Mom," the Cat Faunus protested, "it's just so _good_!"

"Toldya so!" Beryl called out cheerfully from her perch on the living room couch. Their house was a rather cozy affair, one large room for the living and dining area with a separate kitchen. The living quarters were up the stairs, where Beryl had already taken Evie's bags alongside her own to her room. Pip and Lustre were more than content to sleep on the two couches downstairs.

"Is there anything more I can do to help, Mom?" Lustre inquired courteously. Beryl snickered softly to herself at the memory of her mother greeting each girl with a hug and an immediate insistence that they all call her Mom, as they were now family to her, and she'd not hear another word otherwise.

"No, thank you, sweetie, you go ahead and relax next to Radiance. Supper will be ready soon enough."

Her silver-haired partner walked from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel that she tossed across her shoulder before sitting next to Beryl. "How are you doing, dear?"

Beryl sighed happily, watching the good-natured ribbing that Pip and her father were now giving each other, needling as if they were old companions. "I'm good. I guess everything's okay in the kitchen?"

"Oh, yes, quite well." Lustre gave her partner a bump with her shoulder. "Though I must warn you, your mother is peppering Evie with rather… inappropriate questions."

"I don't doubt it," she replied with a small chuckle. "Mom's always been nosy. But that's okay, I'm usually the first to tell her about stuff anyway."

She leaned her head back, relaxing as she listened to the embarrassed stammering of Evie to her mother's line of questioning regarding underwear choices, of all things, while Pip and her father moved on to the most impressive wound each other had ever received.

"Hey, Lustre."

"Yes, dear?"

"Do you… think this is what it'd be like? I mean, y'know, growing up with siblings? A large family?"

Her partner, another only child, hummed softly. "It is possible. Do you regret your upbringing?"

"Nah, not so much anymore." Beryl turned to face the other girl with a warm smile. "Besides, this is our family now, right? And we've got lots more family all over that we're seeing this holiday. It's… nice. I could get used to this."

Lustre returned the smile but accompanied it with a gentle hug. "As could I, dear. And I could not imagine spending Yule apart from you all now."

"Same here. Happy Yule, Lustre."

"Happy Yule, Beryl."

"Aww, lookit you two, bein' all cute and snuggly," Pip chortled. "Better watch out, babe, kitty cat's gonna get jealous."

"Lustre, you stop trying to steal my woman!" the Cat Faunus sang out from the kitchen, though her joking tone was obvious.

Beryl rolled her eyes as she sat back again. "Yep. Definitely family."

Lustre nodded with a soft giggle. "And I would not have it any other way."

"Me neither, Lustre. Me neither."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gods how I adore these girls, one of my favorite sets of OCs I've ever done. The ship name for Evie and Beryl, fyi, is Scaredy Cat.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and don't feel bad if you skipped it because you never read it. I mean, I think it was a cool story, so might be worth a read. Finally finished backfilling the chapters here on AO3. So, next up, let's revisit _[Asymmetrical](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8696146)_ , my alt-post-volume-three Freezerburn story.
> 
> Stay shiny!


	3. An Asymmetric Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this one is based off of a little post-Volume 3 Freezerburn one-shot, _[Asymmetrical](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8696146)_ , that I wrote some time ago during the series hiatus. The way I thought Volume 4 should kick off. Much love to the RT gang, but I think this would have gone over just as well. Anyways, this lovely little chapter is brought to you by my co-author, **Silvana_Crowe**!

"You ready for this?"

"I believe I should be the one asking you that question."

The blonde woman sighed, rolling her eyes at her girlfriend. "Well, it's not like this is something that I was expecting when we decided to come out here! I was thinking that we'd be bringing her back kicking and screaming, not getting caught up in a battle to the death!"

The ex-heiress took this as an indication of her turn to sigh. "Must you be so dramatic? It's not like we're being hunted by Grimm."

"No. It's much worse than that," Yang hissed, glancing furtively around the wall they were hiding behind, ducking down again before her bright blonde hair could be spotted. "I think I just heard a noise! Maybe it's time to mo-GAH!"

The two women let out nearly identical shrieks (though Weiss wouldn't admit to having done so for all the lien in Remnant) as they were suddenly covered with a barrage of white powder.

"GOTCHA!" Sun was on the building above and behind them, having apparently decided to flank the two now very cold girls to get behind their carefully constructed snow fort.

Yang huffed and shot to her feet, shaking her metal fist threateningly in his direction. "Dust dammit, Sun! I thought we agreed no cheating!"

"We said no semblances. Faunus are excellent jumpers amongst their other capabilities." Weiss sounded rather resigned, attempting to brush herself off somewhat while still keeping an eye on their laughing opponent. She suddenly froze. _Wait…_

"Move!"

"Wha-" Yang got pelted with snow to the back of the head, having not reacted quickly enough to the other's command, though the platinum-haired girl had managed to launch herself behind the other wall of their fort in time to dodge the sneak attack.

Sputtering, the blonde blinked snow out of her eyes and pointed an accusing finger towards the, now revealed, smirking, raven-haired faunus. In true Blake fashion, she had used Sun as a distraction and snuck up on the other team in order to deliver a crushing blow. Or at least what would have been had it not been a handful of well-packed snow. Blake laughed softly at the blonde woman doing a good impression of a cat surprised with a dunk in a bath, though she did keep an eye on her other former teammate, who she could just see poking over the snow pile she was hiding behind.

"I think this means we win," she said calmly, hiding a smile at Sun's ecstatic _whoop_ from on top of the roof. She ignored Yang's grumbling about a rematch, knowing that her old partner's girlfriend would drag the blonde in at some point. Yang would protest, but wouldn't make it too hard on her 'Princess.' They were predictable, but she liked that about them. It was a nice change to all the up-in-the-air chaos that had been happening in her life since Beacon fell. _Honestly, everything was so strange even before that._ She snapped out of her increasingly maudlin thoughts to the sensation of a large quantity of snow being dumped over her head. "Sun!"

* * *

Yang looked up from staring at the fire _in an actual fireplace_ when she heard the door slide open. She smiled cheerfully at her old partner before nodding her to the open space on the rug beside where Weiss was curled up under a small pile of blankets and into the warmer girl's side. "Sun head out already?"

Blake nodded after carefully settling down next to the two other women. The monkey faunus had left a short while ago to explore the town, something he'd already done before. "He said that he 'had to see the town when it's full of snow because it's _different_ then,' and left. I'm sure he'll be back at some point," she shrugged, her ears twitching as she looked towards the fire. It was good to be home, but she hadn't let herself fully comprehend just how much she had missed her team until Yang and Weiss had shown up on her doorstep, having been 'arrested' for being humans trespassing on the land belonging to faunus. No matter how much trouble they had caused arriving, the cat faunus couldn't be upset that they were here, at least not right now.

"Blake?"

Said woman turned her head to glance at the sleepy-looking ex-heiress that had called her name. Noticing that she had Blake's attention, Weiss stretched her hand out, beckoning from under her blanket. She hesitated slightly, looking up at Yang only to see a soft, warm smile on the other woman's face. Taking her hand gently, the raven-haired woman allowed herself to be tugged into the pile of blankets and bodies, smiling softly as she listened to Yang's laughing and Weiss' faux-irritated huffing as they all struggled to get the blankets situated in a way that let them be curled together comfortably. She sighed, resting her head on top of the platinum locks of the smallest in the middle, and let herself begin to drift off as she watched the fire flicker and felt a hand running through her own hair. From the angle, it was most likely Yang's, which made sense since she could tell that their other blanket-bundle partner was already mostly if not completely asleep once again.

"Blake?"

She shifted minutely, her ear twitching at the soft sound of the blonde's voice so nearby. "Yes?"

"Happy Yule."

Blake smiled and closed her eyes. "Happy Yule, Yang."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Silvana_Crowe A/N:** Thanks again to readers, and I hope you all liked it! I love getting to write subtle shipping, so this was nice. I have one more chapter I'll be doing, but next up is another **Dongyrn** one. Another day down!
> 
> **Dongyrn A/N** : Have I mentioned I'm a sucker for poly ships? I think Bee's Schnees is all sorts of adorable. Even if it's just hinted at here, and **Silvana_Crowe** did an awesome job at running with that. A lovely addition to this Yule story.
> 
> And speaking of poly ships, for the next chapter let's go check in with my most popular crack ship story, _A Thorny Tangled Triangle_ , and see what those ladies are doing for the holidays.
> 
> Stay shiny!


	4. A Thorny Tangled Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't know, really, how this got to be as popular as it was. I guess the need to read about a fluffy crack ship was as great as my desire to write one. This takes place approximately a year and a half after the end of _[A Thorny Tangled Triangle](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8696608)_.

"Time?" Pyrrha called out frantically as she stretched up onto her tiptoes, balancing with all the grace of a skilled Huntress.

"Relax, fluffy fox," Blake smiled warmly from behind her. "We have plenty of time still."

"And even if we didn't," Ruby added from where she sprawled on the floor, "you know it's not gonna matter any! This is family!"

"I know, I know," the leggy redhead sighed as she fastened the end of the garland to the corner of the living room. "I'm just excited, this is the first holiday together _we_ will have as a family, after traveling to Atlas last year, and then with guests…"

Smirking, Blake stepped forward, holding the box of decorations off to the side as she wrapped a reassuring arm around her Mate's waist and nuzzled her cheek into her back. She didn't say anything, just let a happy rumble vibrate through her chest and into the anxious woman while sending calming waves of love through their bond.

"You're right," Pyrrha sighed, leaning into the embrace while remaining mindful of the growing bump in the Cat Faunus' belly. "I'm being foolish."

"Not foolish," Blake quietly disagreed. "But perhaps a bit wasteful of your energy."

"Need to save up that energy!" Ruby chirped. She was on her back, now, allowing a gleeful toddler to climb up onto her chest.

"Yes, I suppose it might be a bit exhausting having visitors in our small space…" Pyrrha mused.

"Nope, for tonight!" The brunette giggled, the sound eliciting a joyful burble of noise from the small redheaded girl currently claiming space atop Mount Ruby. Her furry red ears twitched and turned as she kept track of all of her mothers' locations at all times.

"Tonight…? Ohhh…." Pyrrha's face blushed brightly as she recalled what her lovers had in store for her that evening.

"And, even now, we can still make you blush," Blake laughed softly as she released her hold.

Ruby's giggles turned into a rather naughty snicker, one which managed to entrance their daughter further. "Yep, still got it."

Pyrrha shook her head ruefully as she stepped back to verify that she'd hung the garland across evenly. "What you are, little rose, is incorrigible."

"No arguments here!"

"Mmm."

Garnet's head perked up before she wriggled herself into a sitting position, heedless of her position in between the brunette's breasts. She let out a soft _mewl_ that was directed at the raven-haired woman.

"Already?" Blake asked incredulously.

Her redheaded Mate grinned. "It's been an hour, love."

"Don't worry, kitty cat, I'll take her," Ruby chuckled. With one swift motion, she rolled to her feet, clutching the toddler around the waist so that she ended upside-down, downy hair just brushing the floor. Garnet let out a peal of laughter at her newfound position.

"Ruby, do be careful," Pyrrha admonished. "If she has to pee, that is not the best position for her…"

"Yeah, we don't need another incident," Ruby agreed, flipping her back over so that she was now carrying her in a more traditional manner. "No more accidents, right, little gem?"

Garnet let out a happy _mewl_ of agreement, contentedly wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck as she was toted over towards the bathroom.

"I still find it remarkable," Pyrrha murmured as she pulled a handful of cheery-looking silver bells from the box Blake carried. "The fact that she's already potty-trained before her second birthday."

A knock sounded at the door, prompting the raven-haired woman to carefully place the box down on an endtable before making her way over. "Faunus cubs are not fond of diapers," she returned with a smile. Her expression widened as she opened the door to reveal another two members of their extended family. "Yang, Weiss! Welcome!"

"Heya, kitten," her blonde partner grinned, wrapping her up in a careful hug. "So this is the new place, huh?"

"Indeed," Pyrrha smiled warmly as she strode over to switch off with her Mate. She bent over to give an awkward but nonetheless happy embrace to the very pregnant woman.

"How are you doing?" she inquired courteously.

"Eh, not too bad so far," the blonde shrugged. She glanced sideways at her wife, who was cooing over Blake's baby bump, now far more evident than the last time they'd gotten together. "Weiss keeps pampering me," Yang admitted in a whisper. "It's gettin' a little, y'know… smothering."

"Yang, you should sit," the platinum-haired woman in question ordered, taking her wife by the elbow and leading her over towards the couch. Yang rolled her eyes humorously but complied readily enough, slipping her shoes off to rub at her swollen ankles.

Weiss hovered over the blonde anxiously for a moment. "Do you need anything? Tea, perhaps?" She whirled around towards her hosts, who were each attempting to restrain their humorous expressions. "Do you have any decaf tea? The doctor said-"

"Wow, look at you, Weiss," her partner called out gleefully, toddler carried alongside once more. Garnet let out a cheery call as she spotted two more of her favorite people. "You're being all domesticated and motherly."

"I'm not… Ruby Rose, you of _all_ people should understand the delicacy of this stage," Weiss retorted with a stamp of her foot. "In the last trimester, we need to ensure that-"

"Emergency niece distraction!" the brunette sang out, thrusting Garnet into Weiss' arms.

"I'm not… I don't…" The platinum-haired woman's face softened quickly until she was grinning at the girl in her arms now. Garnet was purring loudly, reaching up with tiny hands to try and catch the wisps of white hair that had escaped their ponytail holder as her silver eyes shone with wonder. "Well hello, there, Garnet. Are you happy to see your Aunt Weiss? Yes, you are, aren't you, you beautiful little girl, you…"

"Works every time," Blake laughed, returning to her box. "Did we want to even bother with the rest of these?"

"Nah, not if you want my opinion," Yang drawled, leaning back and stretching her arms over her head. "The place looks great, you guys. Pretty much the same layout as your old place, though, right? Just a lil' roomier?"

"Yep!" Ruby flopped down onto the couch next to her sister, giving her a side-armed hug. "Three bedrooms now, and the kitchen's a bit bigger. Plus the dining area is a bit more defined, y'know? Lets us use a bigger table."

"Oh, yeah, that's new, right?"

"Yes, Blake has a friend within the movement who is a carpenter," Pyrrha interjected as she curled up on the floor in front of her brunette lover. "Made it all by hand, we have enough chairs for eight."

"Nice!" Yang cheered before sobering. "So, um, I got some bad news, dad called me on the way in…"

"Ugh, lemme guess," Ruby answered with a roll of her expressive silver eyes. "He can't make it? Last-minute hunting gig?"

"Yeah, pretty much…"

"He's such a coward, can't even tell me himself…"

"Well, you get those puppy-dog eyes and he can't handle the guilt."

"There are few who can resist the puppy-dog eyes," Blake agreed. She sat beside the brunette, feet tucked up under her, to lean into Ruby's side. "It's a powerful weapon."

"Indeed," Pyrrha giggled. "A force carefully used for fear of disrupting the very fabric of space."

"Oh, stop," Ruby snickered. "I'm not all _that_ bad."

At that, she was met by several incredulous snorts of derision, including from her daughter.

"No comments from the peanut gallery!" the brunette called out merrily, blowing a raspberry at the redheaded toddler. Garnet broke out into giggles, snuggling further into Weiss' arms.

The platinum-blonde sashayed over towards the seated women, swinging her niece gently. "So does she still not talk?" Weiss asked curiously.

"She talks," Blake disagreed. "Just not the verbal communication that Humans expect."

"It's been really cool, kinda like learning a new skill," Ruby chimed in. "But once you figure out what all the nonverbals mean, and the gestures and stuff, it's easy."

"And we're in no rush," Pyrrha stated firmly. "Faunus children are not like Human children, and should not be treated as such. Once she's older and feels like it, she can communicate with us in other fashions."

Yang glanced across the top of her sister's head to see Blake settling back with a wide, happy smile on her face. "I think you did real good here, kitten," the blonde stated softly. "Couldn't ask for better mothers."

The Cat Faunus shot her a surprised but pleased grin. "Don't I know it," she answered happily.

"So, then," Pyrrha murmured, her eyes half-lidded as she leaned back. Ruby had begun to play with her long, flowing red hair, twisting it around into intricate patterns. "If Tai is not showing, who else did we invite that accepted?"

"Ah heh heh." Both Ruby and Yang let out identical awkward chuckles as they rubbed the backs of their necks. Though Weiss simply rolled her eyes, muttering about how obvious it was that they were siblings, both Blake and Pyrrha sat up, eyeing them warily.

"You're not very good at playing this off," Ruby mumbled to the blonde.

"Me? What about you?"

"I can't keep anything from them, they know everything I'm feeling!"

"And what I'm feeling right now, little rose," Blake stated ominously, "is a tremendous amount of guilt. What did you do?"

"Okay, now, to be fair," Yang began hurriedly. "We didn't think he'd accept the invite."

"He's even worse than dad about attending family stuff!" Ruby agreed vehemently.

"And yeah, it's been forever since we actually had any time together with him…"

"Well, there was dad's birthday last year."

"Oh, yeah, didn't he show up late to the restaurant?"

"Yep, and then got into a fight when he ogled that guy's wife…"

"Yeah," the blonde sighed. "Good times."

"Wait," Pyrrha interjected, her visage displaying far more calm than her bond was conveying. "Do you mean to tell us…"

"...You invited your Uncle Qrow?" Blake finished worriedly.

"Well, um…" Ruby ducked her head. "Yes?" she finally squeaked.

Blake and Pyrrha shared a level look.

"I'll go make sure any alcohol is well hidden."

"And I'll go hide the kitchen knives."

"Perhaps we should clothe Garnet in something non-flammable?"

"Mmm."

"You guys," Ruby scoffed. "He's not _that_ bad. Besides, he loves all of us! Nothing's gonna happen!"

"Well, now that you've jinxed us all," Weiss smirked, handing her bundle over towards her wife. "I need to use the restroom. You know, before it gets demolished."

"Buncha comedians," Yang grumbled, though she chuckled at the look on her niece's face as she rested on the large bulge of her unborn baby. "Heya, Gigi, what d'ya think about this, then?"

Garnet _mewled_ softly, shifting about until she could press one of her Faunus ears to Yang's belly.

"Last time I saw her that entranced, we introduced her to grapes," Pyrrha smiled.

Blake laughed lightly, reaching across her brunette lover to run her fingers through their daughter's hair, giving the base of her ears a small scritch. "I can't wait for when I'm at this point so that she can feel her sister."

"Oh, yeah?" Yang commented. "You sure it's gonna be a girl?"

"Pretty much guaranteed," her sibling replied. "Just the way the science works, I guess."

"Things are always a little nebulous when Dust is involved," Blake added. "But yes, from the tests run so far, it's a girl. Do you know about yours, yet?"

"Nope," Yang replied cheerfully. "We want it to be a surprise."

"You… You do?" Ruby stared at her sister in shock, before switching it over towards her partner once she re-entered the room. "You really don't need to know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"No, we decided it wasn't necessary," Weiss replied primly.

"Seriously? You, the queen of control?"

"We will both love our child no matter what," Weiss defended, though her composure was beginning to crack.

"Weiss, every birthday you try to guess what your presents are before they're open."

"This is different."

"And it's impossible to try and plan a surprise party for you."

"I simply do not like the unexpected when it comes to… to…" The platinum-haired woman let out a small, anguished cry. "Okay, so it's killing me, alright? I'm dying to know ahead of time, but we agreed to this, and it's selfish of me to expect my every whim to be met, something this trivial…"

Laughing, her blonde wife dug her scroll out, quickly flipping open her messages before tossing it towards the distraught woman. "Here, babe. Check the unread message."

"The unread…" Weiss' eyes widened as she opened the missive, her jaw dropping before she looked up at her wife, tears forming in her eyes. "How did…?"

"I'm actually impressed as all Dust that you lasted this long," Yang snickered. "Had the doc forward it to me for when you finally broke."

"But…"

"Weiss, sweetie," the blonde sighed affectionately. "I know you, right? And it's okay, really."

"Okay…" Weiss looked back down at the scroll and sniffled. "Can… Can I…?"

"Go ahead, babe."

The platinum blonde looked around at the expectant room. "We're going to have a boy!"

"Yes!" Yang's cheer was clearly audible over those of the other three woman.

"Wait, I thought you didn't care?" Ruby laughed.

"Eh, I don't, really, but I was kinda hopin', y'know? Not that I'd treat our child any differently, or, y'know, steer 'em in any direction or the other…"

"It's okay, sis," Ruby smiled, leaning into the blonde's side. "I get it."

A knock sounded at the door, then, causing a variety of reactions. A sort of caution bordering on fear for both Pyrrha and Blake, amusement from Yang, and wariness on the part of Weiss, who still retained some of her sister's apprehension towards the man. Ruby, of course, shot off of the couch in a flurry of rose petals.

Garnet, curled up on Yang's belly still but now snoring softly, didn't react.

The front door was flung open to the ecstatic cry of "Uncle Qrow!" The raven-haired man stumbled back as he was tackled enthusiastically.

"Aren't you gettin' a bit old for this, squirt?" he rasped out in amusement.

"Nope!" Ruby looked up at him, even though she'd grown a bit since her teenage years, he still towered over her. "Hi!"

"Hey yourself, kiddo. Nice place you girls got here." He grinned as his niece pulled him inside, looking around appreciatively. The rest of the women had gotten to their feet, save for Yang who was currently pinned in place by the sleeping toddler.

In turn, he gave nods of greeting towards Blake, Pyrrha, and Weiss, before pulling out a bottle from the bag he carried at his side. "Wanted to get you a housewarming present, I know it's a bit cliched, but…"

"Oh, that is a _very_ nice wine," Weiss murmured as she looked around the side of Pyrrha.

"Er, thank you, sir…" the redhead began.

"Hey, none of that, now, kid," Qrow grinned lopsidedly. "It's been awhile, but you can still call me Uncle, remember?"

"Very well, then," Blake smiled warmly. "Thank you so much for the gift, Uncle Qrow, and we're happy you could make it to our place for Yule this year."

Chuckling, he gave the Faunus woman a genial pat on her arm before moving past. "And how're you doing, firecracker?"

"Bloated and fat," Yang replied cheerfully. "Otherwise, not too bad. Yourself?"

"Livin' and breathin'," he smirked in reply before coming to a halt by her side. His crimson eyes seemed to soften as he gazed upon the small figure curled up on her. "Wow, she's grown."

"Actually, if you don't mind," Yang grunted, lifting the Faunus toddler up. "Can you take her? Resting on me like that, I gotta pee somethin' fierce."

"Ahhh, tiny bladder," Blake sighed with a grin. "I remember that well."

Laughing, Yang waddled her way out of the room, while Qrow plopped himself down in one of the large armchairs. Garnet was awake by now and sat on his chest, gazing back at him with solemn eyes.

"Well, hey there, kiddo," he rasped out gently. "You remember me?"

The redheaded girl tilted her head to the side, red-furred ears twitching and sniffing cautiously before a slow smile crept across her face and a happy purr rumbled in her small chest. She contentedly curled up once more, arms wrapped around Qrow's neck, and went back to sleep.

"Yeah, I'd say she remembers you," Ruby laughed. "We're gonna go get dinner ready, you okay with her?"

"Yeah, go on," her uncle answered with a soft smile. "I got this."

Chuckling, Ruby turned to join her lovers in the kitchen, Weiss trailing alongside.

"May I help?" the platinum-haired woman inquired.

"Oh, absolutely," Pyrrha interjected with some relief. "You can assist Ruby, make sure she doesn't burn the kitchen down."

"Hey!" the brunette protested. "That was the one time… or four… okay, maybe six, at the most, in the old apartment. I'm doing much better now!"

"That's because we don't let her in here without supervision," Blake stage-whispered towards Weiss, who giggled merrily.

The two shorter women got to work slicing up vegetables on the island against the wall partitioning the kitchen off from the living area. Most of the prep work had been done the previous day, with only some last-minute additions required. The ham had been slowly cooking in the oven most of the afternoon, and a pot of wassail was now simmering on the stovetop. Blake and Pyrrha worked together seamlessly to prepare one of the casseroles to slip in beside the ham, the four women chatting aimlessly as they caught up with each other.

"Are you truly okay with your uncle tending to Garnet by himself?" Weiss whispered after some time.

"Oh, sure," Ruby stated confidently. "Remember, he did a lot to raise Yang an' me. Made my first cloak, the one that fit me at the time, anyways. My practice scythe, too, gave that to me on my eighth Yule."

Pyrrha sighed as she wiped her hands off. She turned to join the other two as Blake carefully slid the casserole into the oven. "Ruby, I must apologize, though some of what we said earlier was in jest… We really should not have been so worried about your uncle. He's a good man."

Ruby shrugged unconcernedly. "I know he can be a bit much, sometimes, with the drinking and all, but he's a really great guy, yeah. He's… I dunno, I see him like another dad, y'know?"

"Girls," Blake murmured, her awe drifting across the bond that the Mates shared. "Come see this."

The other three walked around the counter, smiling as they joined the raven-haired Cat Faunus. Yang had evidently returned at some point and was now snoozing in her previous spot. Qrow was slumbering peacefully as well, evidently a bit worn out from his travels, with Garnet still snuggled up across his chest.

All three dozing family members had their mouths parted slightly, soft snores issuing forth.

"That," Ruby declared softly, "is picture-worthy material."

"Way ahead of you, little rose," Blake giggled quietly, scroll in hand.

"Ugh, just looking at them is making me tired," Weiss remarked, stifling a yawn behind one dainty fist. "It's been a bit exhausting trying to run the business alongside taking care of Yang…"

"Then go join your wife, silly," Pyrrha admonished. "We can finish up and wake you all when the meal is ready."

Weiss offered the three women a soft smile of thanks before she did just that, curling up with her head on Yang's lap. The blonde only stirred briefly before draping an arm across her wife's shoulder and then slumbered on.

Blake, Pyrrha, and Ruby remained standing there for a few moments more, all wearing identical smiles as they observed the peaceful scene. The brunette stood in the fore, with Blake's arms wrapped around her waist from behind and Pyrrha to the side, her own arms around the both of their shoulders.

"Happy Yule, my loves," Pyrrha murmured.

"Happy Yule, you guys," Ruby sighed happily.

"Mmm." Blake let a purr rumble in her chest, unable to contain her own happiness any longer. "I love you all."

They stood there together for another few moments before Pyrrha broke the silence. "Do either of you recall what occurred the last time he visited us, back when our kitty cat was pregnant the first time?"

"Oh, yeah," chuckled the brunette. "He kept offering alcohol to Blakey, tellin' her it was good for the baby and her both. Time-honored tradition, and all that."

"Mmm." Blake grinned as she turned her head to face her Mates. "I think I shall hide the alcohol, after all, including our lovely new bottle of wine."

"Shall we return to the kitchen, little rose?" Pyrrha inquired courteously.

"We shall, fluffy fox," Ruby grinned. She waited until the leggy redhead was ahead of her before her hand went for a quick grope.

"Ruby!" Pyrrha squealed softly, jumping forward slightly in surprise.

"Don't forget about tonight," the brunette reminded her, a devious smirk on her face.

Pyrrha's face was once again flushed as she pulled another casserole dish down. "How could I possibly forget?" she murmured, eager anticipation coming through loud and clear over their bond.

As for Blake, she remained in place for a moment longer, observing her lovers with fondness before picking up the bottle of wine and heading for the laundry room.

"Happy Yule, my family," she whispered contentedly to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Dongyrn A/N:** Drunkle Qrow is best holiday guest. I need to leave a quick kudos to the awesome **AYangThang** and their brilliant contribution to Faunuskind headcanon, _[I Want A Cub](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12171110/1/I-Want-a-Cub)_. Given me a lot of what I portrayed here for young Faunus. Also one final shout-out to **OmegaInfinity** and their wonderful poly tale, _[Linked in Life and Love](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11689623/1/Linked-in-Life-and-Love)_ , for much of my headcanon concerning Mating. Finally, hugs and massive appreciation to **kaiju62** who Beta'd this chapter for me!
> 
> So, the next chapter is based off of a short story I did called _[Voices](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8148643)_. It was quite the departure for me, a bit of angst that was unlike any other Bumblebee story I'd read before. My co-author **Silvana_Crowe** will be tackling it, so tune in tomorrow!
> 
> Stay shiny!


	5. Hearing Voices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just to elaborate here. _[Voices](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8148643)_ was a Bumblebee story where Yang lost her life saving Blake's, and in the process, her aura was merged with the Faunus girl's. And along with that package came both her semblance… and her spirit, if you will.

Blake glanced around the picturesque setting, nervous despite the continuous reassurances being spouted inside her head. She shouldn't have accepted Ruby's invitation to come visit Patch for winter break, she should have just stayed at Beacon where she could hang out in the library and their room and spend time with her girlfriend without feeling this nervous knot in her stomach. Had Ruby even bothered to ask her father? What if he threw her out the moment he saw that she was there? She could probably get back into Beacon for break if she left now before most of the teachers finished heading out.

_*Oh come on, that's a little overdramatic, isn't it?*_

Blake still startled a bit when Yang answered her supposedly-private thoughts, though she was finally used to it enough that she didn't noticeably jump.

_It's not being dramatic, it's being practical, Yang! I have no idea how you father is going to react to me being here. This is the first Yule since you...since you_ died _and he's probably going to be upset!_

_*He might be, but if I know Dad he'll put on a brave face for Rubes. And besides, kitten, Rubes was right. You're basically family at this point. And, if we're being honest here, I could really use a little bit of family time.*_

_Yang…_

Blake frowned, feeling how despondent the usually unshakably cheerful girl was. She hadn't even fully considered how this would be affecting her partner. The cat faunus straightened her shoulders determinedly. It was Yang's first Yule being a ghost. The least that Blake could do was let her live vicariously.

_*Did you mean to make that pun? Because it was a good one. Not the best, I mean I've definitely done better, but it was still alright! Also, you're feeling guilty again and if we have to have this conversation about it_ not being your fault _one more time, Belladonna, I'm going to start singing the song that never ends and you will have to deal with the consequences.*_

Blake snorted a little, shaking her head at her partner's antics.

_Let's just go inside._

She could feel how nervous Yang was under her bluster, along with the melancholy and nostalgia that were compounding as they, she, walked inside of the Xiao Long house. She could hear Ruby, who had gone ahead when Blake had needed to take a minute, talking to someone further inside. She couldn't recognize the voice but after sending a questioning feeling to Yang she received the memory of a tall black haired man with red eyes talking to his nieces at Signal. She knew now, as if she had always known, that Uncle Qrow was here and that Ruby was talking to him in the kitchen.

_*He's probably here to make sure Dad's alright. He stayed with us for a while after Mom died, too.*_

Blake blinked, shocked back into reality where she was separate from Yang's memories. It was hard to distinguish their individual pasts and experiences sometimes, especially when they were freely being shared like that. The faunus made her way into the kitchen, following the voices both in her head and out. Pausing once she arrived at the doorway, she took in the sight in front of her. Ruby was there, perched on top of a counter and chatting with her Uncle who was sitting backwards in one of the chairs from the kitchen table. They seemed to be in an intense debate about the newest issue of the girl's favorite gun catalogue so Blake turned her attention to the third person in the room. The blond man was leaning against the counter not far from his daughter, though he seemed content to just listen to the conversation instead of taking part. His eyes, so familiar to Blake after knowing Yang, were underscored liberally with purple bruising, as if he hadn't slept well in weeks. The whites were tinted red, bloodshot and still a little watery even as he smiled softly in the direction of his youngest child.

_*I don't think I've ever seen Dad look so...bland.*_ Yang sounded subdued and worried, something Blake could feel spreading into her own consciousness and making her already present concern for the man worsen. _*Shit, sorry kitten, didn't mean to share.*_

Before she could respond, the raven-haired girl found herself the center of attention from the occupants of the room she stood at the threshold to.

"Blake! Are you feeling better now? I'm sorry I didn't come back out to check on you but I didn't know Uncle Qrow was going to be here and I haven't seen him since before coming to Beacon and I wanted to make sure that everything was set up for us here and there's a guest bed for you that's all set up that I can show you after dinner and-"

Blake cut off her team leader, gently snagging her shoulder to stop the brunette from continuing to bounce back and forth in front of her. "It's fine, Rubes. I'm sure that everyone's just as happy to see you as you are to see them, and I can sleep wherever. It's no bother." She smiled slightly at the other girl, noting out of the corner of her eye how Taiyang had jerked a little when she called his daughter Rubes. She had forgotten by now that it was something that Yang exclusively had done, with the entire team getting used to Blake's 'Yang Moments' and no longer mentioning them.

Ruby relaxed, smiling in return at the older girl before setting her chin and turning to the men behind her, both of whom had focused completely on the cat faunus though Qrow seemed far more at ease about her presence than the blond.

"Dad, Uncle Qrow, this is my teammate Blake Belladonna. Blake, this is my dad and my uncle Qrow."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Thank you for allowing me into your home for the holidays, Mr. Xiao Long." Blake figured that being respectful was probably her best bet right now, seeing as Taiyang still hadn't taken his eyes off her or said anything, merely standing there with his arms crossed and eyebrows pinched. The air was thick with tension, even Yang watching silently to see what would happen.

After what felt like an eternity of standing as still as she possibly could, forcing herself to maintain eye contact with the man whose daughter she had gotten killed, Blake felt the tension leak out of her spine when he blinked, nodding minutely at her.

"It's nice to meet a member of my dau-of Ruby's team. I was beginning to think she's ashamed of me!" His smile was tight around the edges, but it was enough for Ruby to take her queue, protesting wildly that it had only been a year and it wasn't her fault that everyone was busy all the time. Blake relaxed further as Qrow joined in on the conversation father and daughter were having, leaving the faunus a quietly unobserved moment to pull herself together.

_Oh my Oum, that was terrifying. Yang, I don't know if I can do this._

_*You'll be fine, kitten. He just needs a bit of time to warm up to you. I'm pretty sure Uncle Qrow likes you! At least, I think he'll help Ruby keep Dad busy enough for you to take a minute. He's cool like that.*_

_I hope you're right._

_*I'm always right. Don't go getting your tail in a twist over spilled milk. It's always a long day in this house.*_

_Yang, I swear to Oum._

Blake smiled slightly, eyes distant as she listened to the bright laughter echoing through her head. She didn't notice the violet eyes observing her curiously from across the kitchen.

* * *

Blake shifted again in her borrowed bed, unable to get comfortable even after lying awake for what had to have been hours. She turned to her back with a huff, opening her eyes to watch the moonlight play along the ceiling as it pooled through the windows with their curtains cast apart.

_*You know, instead of both of us laying here bored for the rest of the night, you could get up and do something.*_

_What would you suggest? I'd rather not cause any trouble, especially after the lacklustre introductions today._

_*Yesterday.*_

_What?_

_*Pretty sure it's after midnight, kitten. That means that you met Dad yesterday, which means that today's a whole new day!*_

_It's still been less than twenty-four hours, Yang. I don't think that's anywhere near enough time for him to have gotten used to the idea of having me around. It certainly isn't enough time for me to start causing problems, with or without your help._

_*Alright, alright, fine. We really need to patch this up, but that can wait until the morning.*_ She ignored Blake's indignant snort, continuing her train of thought as if there had been no interruption. _*Why don't you just head down to the kitchen. Pretty sure we'll have milk somewhere, and that way you can heat some up to relax and we can try the whole sleeping thing again.*_

Unable to think of anything better to do, Blake heaved herself up out of bed, swinging her legs around to slip on the slippers she had left sitting next to it. She made her way out the door, through the hallway, and down the stairs as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake any of the other current occupants. Creeping around the corner at the bottom of the stairs, Blake noticed that there was a light on in the kitchen, causing her to hesitate briefly before gathering her Yang-inspired courage and continuing. She regretted it instantly when she saw who was in sitting at the table.

_Grimmshit._

When there were no immediate repercussions to her presence, the huntress in training turned her focus more towards studying the figure of Taiyang. He was sitting there, head in his hands, under the dim light from over the sink. There was a mug placed in front of him as if he'd just come down for a cup of tea before becoming distracted. As Blake watched, she took note of his shoulders as they gently shook.

_*Oh. Oh, Blake. I think...is he crying?*_ Yang's voice sounded almost broken. Without thinking about it, the raven-haired girl took a step forward, freezing as the blond's head shot up, wary eyes turning to meet hers.

"Oh, Ms. Belladonna. I didn't think anyone else'd be up right now." He wiped roughly at his face, voice rough.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep. I just came down to get something to drink, I didn't mean to disturb you."

Taiyang waved her off, focusing back on his mug while Blake, with some soft encouragement from her partner, got herself a cup of milk. She didn't bother to heat it up, wanting to get out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. She paused before leaving the room, wanting to say something but unsure if she should. "Mr. Xiao Long...I'm so sorry for everything."

"You're sorry. Why should you be sorry?" Blake froze before turning to watch the brittle sounding blond warily. She recognized that tone from when Yang was feeling particularly fragile and overwhelmed, and therefore had a good idea of what was coming. Sure enough, the despondent man, face now twisted with pain, slammed his mug down onto the table. "Do you have _any idea_ how hard it is, knowing that my little girl didn't even get to see the real world outside of Beacon? That she d- _died_ because she went headlong into a fight that she wasn't ready for?"

Blake didn't even notice that the others were awake until Qrow was standing in between her and the rageful blond, Ruby having stopped next to her near the doorway. All she could hear was white noise, ringing through her ears while the guilt crushed her from the inside out. She didn't even notice her diminutive leader guiding her into the living room until they were sitting on the couch and Ruby's worried face was centered in her vision.

"Are you alright, Blake?"

"I'm fine," she started. "You should go check on your father. I'll be fine." She could tell that Ruby didn't believe her, knew she would refuse before she actually made the motion to do so. The two girls sat in silence for a moment, worrying, until a ruffled looking Qrow lead an equally mussed Taiyang out of the kitchen. Blake couldn't meet his eyes, looking instead down at her hands clasped in her lap and hoping that things would be alright. Yang hadn't even spoken since watching her father break, and the faunus could only hope she wasn't reeling too badly.

"Ms. Belladonna...Blake. I should apologize."

Her head snapped up, seeing the blond man perched gingerly on the coffee table in front of her. His spoke softly, his eyes fixated on the carpet. "For what, sir? You didn't do anything."

"But neither did you. It wasn't your fault that Yang was in that warehouse, and I heard about how you and your teammates caught the guy who was responsible." He met Blake's startled eyes, peering up from under his fringe. He quirked a very small, crooked smile. "We all know how stubborn she could be, especially when it came to people she cared about. I don't doubt that there was no way you could've made her stay behind."

Blake sat there, frozen, listening to him talk. She had this impulsive feeling building in her throat, one she had a horrible idea that she was going to regret, but she didn't know if she could stop it.

"I _am_ happy that I finally got to meet you. Yang never stopped talking about you. Or your other teammate, the Schnee girl, but at least with you it was always good things." Taiyang seemed to be caught up a bit in the past, his eyes gone distant as if he couldn't see Blake sitting in front of him anymore.

"Yang's not…" Her voice caught in her throat. Was she really about to do this?

_*Blake? Are you sure about this?*_

_Not at all._

"Yang's not...not _completely_ dead. I mean, she is, but she isn't."

Both of the men in the room were now fixated on the nervous, raven-haired girl. "Wha'da you mean by that, kid?" came from Qrow. He looked piercingly at her like he was daring her to be making a joke about something like this.

Taking comfort from the presence of Ruby next to her, and the warmth of Yang in her head, Blake forced herself to explain. "Well, when Yang died she was using her semblance to protect me. There were some...unintentional side effects."

* * *

_*Thank you for that, Blake.*_

The girl smiled softly, curling further into her pillow. It had taken a while for the faunus, with the help of Ruby, to convince the two men that she had Yang being a ghost in her head, but it had been worth it. Taiyang had broken down crying again, but Blake had played go-between for the two Xiao Longs until the early morning hours, which lead to her current situation of trying to sleep, take two. She started a bit at the laughter that came singing out from her partner.

_*That sounded like something I'd say. I really am rubbing off on you, though not in the funnest way…*_

_Yang. No._

_*Yang, yes_ _!*_

Blake groaned softly, pulling the cover up tighter and shutting her eyes firmly, hoping her girlfriend would get the hint that she just wanted to sleep right now.

_*Fine, fine. Go to sleep, kitten. There's plenty of time to talk tomorrow, and all of break to spend working things out.*_

As her breath deepened and she sunk into the arms of her dreams, Blake couldn't help but think that that prospect wasn't nearly as frightening as it had been less than twenty-four hours ago.

_Maybe this Yule won't be so bad, after all._

_*That's the spirit! Get it? Cause I'm a ghost?*_

_Good-_ night _, Yang._

_*Night, Blake! Talk to you in the morning!*_

Yeah. Maybe it would all turn out fine in the end. After all, she would always have the annoyingly loveable blonde to help her get through things, and that was really all she needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Silvana_Crowe A/N:** So. Well. This was a thing. I had a heck of a time writing this, but I hope I did the original story justice! Um...have a little angst to go with your Holiday Cheer? Thanks everyone for reading!
> 
> **Dongyrn A/N:** I can write angst, but it's not my favorite thing, particularly at this point when I'm trying to keep my spirits up with the holidays here. So I cannot fully express my massive appreciation for **Silvana_Crowe** to doing this chapter for me, 'cause otherwise it was just going to be skipped. Also, I'm going to have to enlist them to write Yang from here on out because they do such a better job of it than I do.
> 
> Whelp, now we're caught up to my more recent stuff. So, next we'll revisit a story I just finished called _[Ember Legacy](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8151026)_ , my Fantasy Dragon AU epic worldbuilding journey. Well, it was epic for me to write, anyways.
> 
> Stay shiny!


	6. Beware Dragons Bearing Gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to lay out the setting. This takes place after the Second Dragon War, with an already-married Arkos (fem!Jaune), a mated Freezerburn (dragon!Yang and elf!Weiss), and an adventurous Ladybug (dragon!Ruby and faunusTail!Blake). _[Ember Legacy](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8151026)_ just wrapped up a couple weeks ago.

Lady Pyrrha Nikos, a Knight of the Order of Artemis, stood on the balcony of her bedroom overlooking the courtyard below. The chapter house for the Mistralian Knights was modest enough compared to others, but it served as a defensive bastion as well as a place of respite for those of her Order. Last night's snowfall was just enough to leave a dusting, accentuating the boughs and wreaths strung about the keep. Her bright emerald eyes squinted slightly against the harsh glare of sunlight off of the frozen tableau as the cloud cover momentarily broke.

Unusually enough, for her, today she wore an elegant, long red gown instead of her typical ornate armor. Due to the cold, though, she had wrapped herself up in a white woolen shawl which bore the symbol of her Order, a black crow clutching an arrow.

Her thoughts drifted to her dear friends as they often did during the holidays. Nebula and Dew were still back in Vale, their duties making it difficult to answer her invitation for the celebration. She'd heard from Yang and Weiss, at least, they would be arriving today. From the others, however, there had been no word yet.

"My Lady," a cheery voice called from inside her chamber. "You'll catch a cold if you remain out there much longer."

Smiling, Pyrrha turned and walked towards her wife, dropping the shawl on the bed as she passed it. "My apologies, My Lady," she returned. "I did not mean to concern you over my well-being."

"Oh, but I always worry about you," Lady Jeanne D'Arc smirked as she wrapped her arms around the redhead's neck. "I worry I do not give you _nearly_ enough attention."

"Well, then, perhaps we should attend to that," Pyrrha breathed against the blonde's lips.

The two of them stood there in each other's embrace, tenderly sharing a kiss that would have certainly evolved into something that required far fewer clothes were it not for a sharp _rap_ against the door.

"My Ladies!" a voice called out. "You asked me to remind you of the hour!"

Pyrrha sighed affectionately as she leaned her forehead against the slightly shorter woman's. "Perfect timing as always," she mumbled with feigned irritation.

Jeanne giggled lightly, leaning up to kiss her on the nose before turning her head. "And we do thank you for that, Novitiate Garnet!" she answered in a clear, ringing voice. "We shall be down momentarily!"

"Tonight," Pyrrha warned as she strode towards their closet to retrieve her slippers, "you are all mine. No interruptions."

"I look forward to it, my love," Jeanne smirked. "For now, though, we need to get ready. How do I look?"

The redhead stood and gazed over at her wife. Jeanne was dressed in a gown a brilliant shade of blue that came close to mimicking the color of her sapphire eyes, along with golden accents and a gold rope belt that looped around her trim waist. The clothing did nothing to conceal her shapely curves that were backed up by the taut muscles she so admired and enjoyed exploring.

"You take my breath away, as always," she murmured.

Jeanne's eyes lit up as she gave a pleased little laugh. "Such a flatterer. I really am happy you wore the red, it looks so much better on you than the white."

"Well, the white is a bit too… formal, in any case," Pyrrha agreed. "Particularly with the crest emblazoned on each side."

"You _are_ the headmistress of the Mistralian chapter," the blonde reminded her humorously.

"Yes, but today is for our friends. Our family."

"And I wholeheartedly agree. Shall we go ensure our sisters have made the necessary preparations?"

"We shall." Pyrrha grandly gestured towards the door. "After you, My Lady."

"Why thank you, My Lady," the blonde giggled, dipping into a quick curtsy before opening the door leading from their shared chambers.

Halfway down the spiraling stone staircase, however, a loud _clang_ resounded throughout the keep as the front door was rather aggressively knocked. The couple grinned at each other and quickened their pace to reach the foyer.

"We have it, Novitiate Garnet," Jeanne assured the squire as the former Valesian veteran guardsman made to answer the door. "We are expecting their company, after all."

"Of course, My Lady, Headmistress," the rangy raven-haired woman replied easily, backing off with a bow. "I'll just make sure the food preparation is going well, then?"

"Thank you, Garnet," the redhead replied hurriedly as she strode towards the door. Both women broke out into giggles as they made a race of it, Jeanne winning by a hair's breadth as she usually did. Together, though, they each took hold of one of the double doors and flung them open wide.

Facing them were an odd pair if one were to come upon them unexpectedly. The first was a tall, muscular, and buxom blonde, clothed far more scantily than the weather outside would suggest. While the other, much shorter and more slender, was wrapped up in white furs that allowed only her pale blue eyes and the tips of her Elven ears to show.

They were, however, dear enough friends to be considered family by the pair of Knights.

"Yang! Weiss!" the redhead laughed gaily, wrapping the blonde up in a tight hug. "My Oum, it's been too long!"

"Yeah, sorry, we keep meainin' to visit," the woman chuckled abashedly, switching with her mate to embrace Jeanne. "Princess, here, decided to go on an organizational kick."

"Yang, your horde has been untouched for almost an entire century," the platinum-haired Elf grumbled good-naturedly. "I mean, honestly, there were moldy spools of cloth in the rear of your cavern!"

The Gold Dragon chuckled once more, rubbing the back of her neck. "Always meant to clean out the corners back there," she mumbled.

"Well, you are here now," Jeanne declared, wrapping an arm around the diminutive Mage's shoulders and steering them inside. "Happy Yule to you both, and thank you so much for visiting us. Oh! And for the wedding gift, truly that was so very lovely!"

"We enjoyed the honeymoon immensely," Pyrrha agreed, closing the doors behind them. "Both of us had always meant to visit Atlas, but I had no idea there was such a nice hotspring spa there."

"Well, Yang and I… er… took a break from our cleaning," Weiss grinned, blushing lightly and pulling the furs from around her face and neck. "We went up to visit my family and stopped there on the way back. It was quite relaxing and I immediately thought of you both."

"So, you went to see your family in Evereska?" Pyrrha inquired. "How did that go?"

"Contentiously," the Elf replied tersely.

"What she means is," Yang laughed, "lotsa yelling, threats, and attempts to chain her to a wall to prevent her from leaving again."

"Oh, my," the redhead breathed, her eyes flickering between the amused blonde and chagrined Elf. "Er… what did you do?"

"Took me transforming into a Dragon right in the courtyard to get 'em all to settle down," Yang smirked.

Weiss let out a huff, though her eyes were twinkling with humor. "The great big oaf threatened to roast the entire city if they didn't _calm their tits_ , as she so colorfully put it."

Jeanne clapped a hand to her mouth, eyes crinkled in mirth, while Pyrrha worked very hard to keep a level expression.

"Oh, but you shoulda seen it," the boisterous blonde grinned widely. "All these uptight Elven elders, all lined up and frothing at the mouth, and then, _bam_ , one big-ass Dragon is starin' them in the face. Three of them passed right out, two ran, while the rest just stood there with their mouths hanging open."

"It was impressive, truly," Weiss snickered. "And then I gave them my regards, hopped upon her back, and we departed."

"Don't forget your parting gift," Yang mischievously reminded her mate.

"Yang, no, that was… a poor decision…"

"Oh, I think it was perfect."

"No, it really wasn't, I acted in haste and my temper got the better of me…"

"Oh, now this I have to hear," Jeanne gasped, wiping away the tears on her cheeks. "Please, what was it?"

"Well…" the Gold Dragon drawled, the corners of her mouth twitching furiously.

"Yang…" her mate warned.

"It was a giant hand, made outta ice, two stories high and right in the middle of the courtyard..."

Pyrrha frowned slightly. "That doesn't sound so-"

"...With only the middle finger extended," Yang finished with a wide grin.

At that, they all lost it, collapsing against each other as streams of mirthful tears streaked down their faces.

"Oh my Oum, Weiss," Pyrrha squeaked out through her helpless laughter.

"No, no, it was a terrible thing for me to do," Weiss protested in between her giggles. "Really, it was so indecorous…"

"And the perfect way to tell 'em all to fuck off," Yang snorted.

"I have to agree with Yang," Jeanne snickered. "Too perfect."

"Jeanne!" the redhead admonished lightly.

"Well, it was!"

"Alright," Pyrrha sighed humorously, shaking her head. "Well, allow us to show you all to your quarters-"

She broke off at a sharp scream that came from the hallway leading to the inner courtyard. "Dragon! A Dragon is attacking!"

"Oh, nice, sounds like my sis is here!" Yang chirped.

"Oum's bloody ballsack," Jeanne grumbled, striding towards the open doorway at the end of the hall, the rest on her heels. "Novitiate Iris! Did we not already discuss who would be visiting today?"

The skinny brunette teen, clad in the usual rudimentary armor common to squires, jumped slightly as the Knight bore down on her outside the keep. "M- My Lady!" she squeaked. "A- A thousand apologies, I just… just…"

"Got overly excited," Pyrrha sighed humorously, walking up to stand at her wife's shoulder. "It's quite alright, Novitiate, but perhaps you should retire inside and assist with the last-minute preparations."

"Y- Yes, Headmistress!" With that, the squire turned and fled inside, round shield bouncing on her back and sword rattling at her side.

"She's a bit… enthusiastic," the redhead apologized to her grinning friends.

"Pain in the ass, if you ask me," Jeanne grumbled. "There's a reason no Knight would pick her up."

"Now, Jeanne," she admonished gently. "You were quite the handful yourself if you recall."

"What?" Her blonde wife recoiled from her, aghast. "Are you suggesting I was as bad as Iris when I was her age?"

"Of course not, dear," the redhead murmured with a small smile, turning to watch the rapidly-descending Silver Dragon as it plummeted towards them. Her eyes narrowed as she noted the speed of the enormous argent form, but then just above the walls the figure shimmered and turned into a red-clad brunette. The transformed Silver spun and landed in a crouch before reaching out to catch another figure, this one bound tightly in black furs.

The four walked over towards where the newcomers, giggling and gasping for breath, were trying to straighten themselves out.

"Always gotta make an entrance, Ruby," Yang called out humorously. "I'm surprised you got kitten there to do something like that."

Ruby laughed as she sprang forward and wrapped her sister up in a hug. "Oh, yeah, Blakey is _all_ sorts of adventurous," the brunette giggled.

"Ruby…" the Cat Faunus chided with a blush, enfolding both Weiss and Pyrrha in a hug. "Hello," she finally greeted them softly. "I've missed you all."

"And we missed you, too," Jeanne agreed, stepping in to fill the void when the others switched off. "I understand you've been doing quite a bit of traveling, though?"

"Indeed," Blake smiled. "And quite a bit of excitement along the way."

"Oh? Do tell," Pyrrha laughed, linking her arms with the raven-haired Rogue as they all made their way back inside.

"Well, there was this one rather wealthy Marquis who mistreated his subjects, really didn't deserve all of those riches…"

"Wait, wait, wait," Yang protested from where she brought up the rear. "All this time, have you two been burglarizing the breadth of Remnant?"

"I do like to keep my cute little Rogue happy," the brunette snickered. "Plus, y'know, I'm a Dragon. I like the shinies, so it's a win-win."

The Gold opened her mouth to protest, but then shut it with a shrug. "Okay, yeah, can't argue with that logic."

The three couples separated for the travelers to rest up after their journey and make use of the chapterhouse's warm enchanted baths, while Pyrrha and Jeanne scurried about to make last-minute preparations. Eventually, they reconvened in the main hall.

Blake's amber eyes shone brightly as she turned in a circle while walking through the hall, her deep purple gown shining as it caught the light. "Oh, this is so very lovely…"

"Yep, these are some of the nicest decorations I've seen in awhile," Ruby grinned. She wore a strapless red and black dress, though she retained her clunky black boots. Her red-tipped hair, however, was pinned up at the sides. "This is a huge hall for just the six of us, you expecting more?"

"No, just us," Pyrrha smiled warmly from where she stood at the head of the large table. Though there were rarely enough Knights in attendance to fill the room, there was still seating enough for thirty.

"There's a smaller chamber we use to dine in normally, but this one we decorated," Jeanne added proudly, glancing around at the streams of bright, colorful ribbons entwined with the evergreens and enchanted glowing golden balls of light.

"Aww, you guys are so sweet," Yang grinned, walking in with her arm around her mate's slender waist. The pair were a stunning contrast, the blonde in a dark golden dress that shimmered with bright yellow highlights, while Weiss's elegant gown was a gleaming white as pale as a fresh snowfall. The Elf wore a glittering silver headband, though her long platinum tresses otherwise draped unencumbered across her back. In Yang's other hand, she carried a small burlap sack.

"This is beautiful," Weiss breathed, her own pale blue eyes alight with joy. "Oh, and is that…?"

"Oh, yes!" Pyrrha grinned, looking over at the small blue-and-white display tucked off to the side but lit up prominently by a magical glow. "Jeanne thought you might appreciate an homage to the patron deity of the hinterland Elves, Tarsellis Meunniduin."

"That was very thoughtful of you," Weiss smiled widely. "Though, truthfully, with as much as we've all been through, I tend to give equal piety towards Oum."

"Yes," Pyrrha agreed, sobering.

Jeanne sighed softly, wrapping her arm around her wife's waist. "I miss them," she stated quietly.

"Yang, might now not be a good time?" Weiss inquired, eyebrows raised elegantly.

"Oh! Yeah, good a time as any…" With a flourish, the Gold pulled a large glass flagon covered with rope that wound around it tightly up to the neck. A seal was pressed into the side, the wax old and cracked.

"Is that…?" Ruby began with a slow grin.

"Dwarven Ale," Yang announced. "Weiss told me stories of when you traveled with Nora and Ren before we met, and as it just so happened, I had this here in my hoard. Decided to bring it along to toast."

"What an excellent idea," the redheaded Knight smiled warmly. She and Jeanne gathered up enough glasses for them all and Yang proceeded to pour the rich amber liquid out for everyone. Soon enough the six women stood in a circle, glasses held up in front of them.

"Nora and Ren were only in our lives for a brief period of time, but they'll always be remembered," Ruby stated softly. "Here's to all of those who can no longer be with us on this most blessed of days. May the ancestors watch over them, always."

"And may they always feel the embrace of Oum, the life-giver," Pyrrha added, ignoring the tear that trickled down her cheek.

Yang nodded slowly, her blonde tresses slipping from her shoulders. "To Coco, and all the Dragons who sacrificed their lives to stop Cinder."

"We will never forget, so long as we live," Blake murmured.

Weiss smiled gently, looking around at her dear friends. "And while we gather like this, we keep their memories alive in our hearts."

"Happy Yule to us all," Jeanne whispered brokenly, unabashed tears trickling down her cheeks that were reflected on every other girl there.

As one, they tipped their heads back and downed the potent brew.

Jeanne immediately doubled over, gasping for breath, much to the amusement of the others.

"Forgot how strong that drink is, did we?" Weiss giggled, her pale blue eyes twinkling.

"Ahhh, good stuff," Ruby sighed, regarding her glass fondly.

Pyrrha was laughing hard enough she could barely support her wife, who seemed on the verge of collapsing as she tried to catch her breath.

"I… hate… you… all…" the blonde Knight wheezed.

"Such a lightweight," Yang smirked.

Blake shook her head, tail twitching behind her in humor. "I am so very glad we came to visit."

"So am I, dear," Pyrrha replied in between giggles. "So am I."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Dongyrn A/N:** It feels a little odd having finished this story up finally, I poured a lot of my heart into it. Thanks, **kaiju62** , for the Beta support this chapter!
> 
> Lastly we'll touch upon my final and still ongoing story, a RWBY crossover with the _Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines_ video game by the name of _[Blood of the Rose](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8145019)_.
> 
> Stay shiny!


	7. Do Vampires Celebrate Christmas?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to do a lot of juggling in the story to make sure I got to this point. If you haven't caught up with it, please read it first so that you won't run into spoilers. _[Blood of the Rose](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8145019)_ details the story of fledgling Ruby, newly turned into a vampire, and her trials. Often ending up with her flat on her face. (She's not _really_ the worst vampire ever, it just seems that way sometimes.)

The door to The Last Round in Downtown LA slammed open, courtesy of a certain boisterous blonde Kindred who strutted in. She was followed at a more sedate pace by a shorter, laden-down brunette fledgling and accompanied by swirling snowflakes.

"What up, bitches?" Yang jeered. "The Xiao Long Rose sisters are in da house!"

"It's such a mouthful when you say it like that," Ruby complained quietly, setting down the box she'd been carrying.

"Oh, here we go," a dark-skinned Kindred commented wryly from where he stood in his customary perch, leaning against the far wall.

"Now, don't be like that, Skelter!" The blonde vampire grinned as she strode over to give the man a big, wet kiss on the cheek, to which he simply rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, c'mon, Skelter," Ruby called out cheerfully. "You're gonna help us decorate, right?"

"Wait, what now?" he protested mildly. "Decorate for what?"

"Well, Christmas, of course!"

Skelter gazed back at the pair of grinning girls as if they'd truly lost their minds. "Say what? The fuck have you two been smoking?"

He turned as a loud _thud_ sounded from behind him, easily carrying over the muted bass of Quiet Riot's _Bang Your Head_. A round-faced, excitable redhead crouched from where she'd hurtled herself down the rear steps.

"Did I hear you were decorating for Christmas?" Nora squealed, flashing her delicate pointed incisors as she smiled widely.

"We are!" Ruby squealed back.

"Awesome! I'm in!"

"Fuck me," Skelter grumbled.

"Oh, come on, grumpy-fangs," Yang snorted, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder. "It'll be fun."

"What'll be fun, now?" a woman's voice called out from the doorway. Damsel and Nines stood there, dusting the snow off of their overcoats.

"We're decorating the bar for Christmas!" Ruby cheered. Nora was too busy looking over the boxed baubles, her head buried amongst tinsel and light strings, to add her own enthusiasm.

"Yeah… No way," Nines stated firmly.

"But… But…" Ruby stared back at him from a few feet away, hands clasped beneath her chin and lower lip trembling slightly. "But it's Christmas…"

"Kid, we're vampires, we don't do Christmas." The latino man snorted softly, trying very hard to focus on anywhere else besides the pouting girl before him, her eyes wide pools of silver. "Y'know, damned creatures of the night and all that?"

Ruby turned up the wattage of her pout, enough to make Damsel groan and pull her beret down to cover her eyes. "But it's been so long since I could celebrate Christmas properly, and I just got my sister back, and…"

"Oh for fuck's sake," Nines sighed, running his hand from his forehead past his chin in weary resignation. "Fine, okay, you can decorate."

"Yay!" the small brunette squealed, jumping up, wrapping her arms around the Anarch leader's neck, and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before jumping back down. "You won't regret this, Nines! You'll see, it'll be awesome!"

As Ruby skipped off to join Nora in her exploration of the available decorations, Damsel turned to her old friend with a wide smirk. "You are such a softie."

"Bite your tongue," Nines chuckled. "It's just a bit of harmless fun."

"Uh-huh. Admit it, after everything she's been through, that little fledgling has you wrapped around her pinky."

"Ain't gonna admit to no such thing."

"That's cause ya don't need to," a gravelly voice broke in from behind the pair. "Not when it's so damn obvious."

"Fuck you, Jack," Nines laughed, turning to spy the ancient Kindred lurking in the shadows. "You gonna hide back there or help these kids out?"

"I'm just gonna manage things," Jack chuckled. "Supervise, and all that shit."

"Speaking of shit," Damsel laughed goodnaturedly. "You're full of it."

"Ain't ever claimed otherwise," the bearded vampire smirked.

"Nines!" the young brunette sang out. "We need someone tall!"

"Get Skelter," the brunet man retorted.

"Already did, we need another someone tall! Grab the other end of these lights!"

"Come on, old man," Yang wheedled, her lilac eyes twinkling merrily. "Help us poor little girls out!"

"Cain save me from smart-alecky fledglings," he grumbled under his breath before raising his voice. "Alright, alright, already, I'm comin'..."

Damsel hid her wide smile behind her hand. "He is _sooo_ whipped," she giggled, a rather odd sound to be coming from the self-proclaimed head bitch and den mother.

"Don't let _him_ hear that," Jack retorted with a matching grin that made his long beard twitch. He still wore his vest open to reveal his bare chest, even in the winter months.

The decorating went on for some time, twinkling lights and holly and bright tinsel and even a bough of mistletoe, much to the consternation of the elder Kindred regulars of the Anarch hangout.

"You bunch are outta your goddamn minds," Nines grumped as they finished cleaning up.

"Probably!" Ruby laughed before suddenly sobering. "Oh, that reminds me… Um, don't get mad at me, _buuut_ I maybe kinda sorta invited someone to see the decorations… actually, someone and her childe…"

"Someone and her…" Nines gaped at the fledgling. "No. No fucking way, you did not just-"

"But Nines, she's lonely now!"

"She's got her childe!"

"It's not the same!" Ruby stood before the taller man, fists on her hips and glared up at him. "You be nice to them both, it's Christmas!"

The latino Kindred sighed and closed his eyes while pinching the bridge of his nose. "And suddenly, I'm all sorts of sympathizing with the Ice Queen…" He cracked an eye open to regard the posturing fledgling. "She ain't coming, is she? Or any other of your Cammie buds?"

"No, they're busy…" Ruby sighed softly, her rigid posture slumping. "But you guys are all my friends, so I kinda wanted everyone here together, y'know?"

"Oh, just give in now, Nines," Yang grinned unrepentantly as she dusted her hands off, walking in from carrying out the trash. "It'll go easier for you in the end."

"Fine," the Anarch leader growled, flinging his hands up in the air as he stalked off towards the rear staircase, grumbling irritably. "Fuckin' eighty years since my last sunrise, and a little girl gets to boss me around in my own fuckin' bar…"

The door opened once more to admit a rather elegant-looking pair of Kindred. The woman wore a long, tan cashmere overcoat and a red scarf that went nicely with her matching long hair, and the man a wooly black peacoat over a dapper grey suit and sky-blue shirt with no tie.

"Pyrrha! Jaune!" The brunette fledgling launched herself forward and tackled the two elder vampires, eliciting chuckles from them both. "I'm so glad you guys were still in town! Welcome to The Last Round!"

"I must admit, this is one locale we've never had the chance to visit," the redhead returned warmly. "We appreciated the invitation into Anarch territory."

"Well, if there's any capes we'll admit here, it's you two," Damsel allowed, stepping up with a hesitant smile. "Been awhile."

"Damsel," the blond man greeted her genially. "Keeping out of trouble?"

"Yeah, yeah," the shorter redhead grumbled with a roll of her eyes, adjusting the beret atop her head. "Half-pint here convinced me to take the night off from busting the heads of you Cammie bastards."

"You're too kind," Pyrrha smirked softly.

The pair wandered in, introducing themselves to both Yang and Nora while the diminutive brunette remained behind.

"Hey, Damsel," Ruby whispered. "Just how old are those two, anyway?"

The Anarch elder chuckled wryly. "Lemme put it this way, kid. Either one could be a Prince of any territory they chose, but they keep their noses out of politics."

"It bores us to tears, to be honest," Pyrrha grinned as she passed by with a warmed bottle of blood in her hand. "Honestly, everything went downhill after Rome collapsed."

Ruby stared after the tall leggy vampire, mouth agape. "Is she… Are they older than Jack?"

Damsel just gave her a wink as she sauntered off to obtain her own bottle.

Still transfixed, her countenance became even more incredulous as she watched Pyrrha grab Jaune by the lapel of his coat and drag him under the mistletoe, where she proceeded to lavish a rather sultry kiss upon his willing lips.

" _Ooookaaay_ ," she finally mused. "I think that's about as much as my little brain can handle in one night."

"Oh, then you _definitely_ shouldn't have invited _us_ , duckling," a voice giggled from behind her.

Ruby turned with a hesitant smile to greet Jeanette, the resident self-proclaimed Baroness of Santa Monica and probationary member of the Anarch movement, and her childe Neo, resident mute and adorable psychopath. The former was wearing her usual skimpy getup, lacy red bra threatening to push aside the negligently-tied overshirt, despite the weather outside, while the latter wore a rather complicated ensemble in pinks, greys, and browns that vaguely resembled some sort of Victorian getup. Her pink parasol was held over her shoulder, both hands clasped firmly over the handle as if expecting it to walk off on its own.

"Hey, you guys made it!" the brunette greeted them. "Do you know everyone here?"

"Always," Jeanette drawled cryptically. "And never. Oh, duckling, did you put that mistletoe up just for little old me? I'll have to start charging if I park myself under it."

Neo rolled her eyes and gently swatted her sire on the arm.

"Oh, she knows I was joking. You know that, right, duckling? The kind of fun you and I could have is best behind closed doors anyways, hmm?"

"Ah heh heh, yeah, right…" Ruby rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. The shorter girl with multicolored brown and pink hair frowned slightly.

"I'm not really making her uncomfortable, sugarpop." Jeanette turned towards Ruby, her heterochromatic grey and brown eyes wide. "I'm not, am I?"

"N- No, of course not," she chuckled. "Um, hey… I don't wanna be rude or… Well, can you… _hear_ Neo?"

"Of course I can, duckling," the elder Malkavian grinned as she passed, patting her on the shoulder. "Anyone can, if they listen the right way."

"Oh. Huh." Ruby let out a tiny _squawk_ as she was tackled around the waist by Neo in a tight hug. She grinned ruefully as she rubbed her back. "Hey, Neo, nice to see you too."

The shorter girl turned her face upwards and graced her with a brilliant fanged smile before letting go and skipping off after her mistress.

"Pretty volatile mix you've thrown together, kiddo," she heard Jack intone from off to the side.

Grinning, Ruby turned and headed over towards where the grizzled Kindred lounged indolently in a darkened booth, feet propped up atop the table. She slid in across from him and rested her back against the wall, her own feet stretched out before her on top of the red leather bench.

"Yeah, maybe," she mused. "But it's Christmas, and everyone should put their bad feelings to the side for it and come together to celebrate, right?"

Jack chuckled and shook his head slightly. "I gotta give it to ya, you have this way of gettin' folk to do this kinda shit even when it goes against their nature."

"That's 'cause she's _sooo_ adorable!" Yang squealed, jumping into the adjacent booth and ruffling Ruby's hair affectionately.

" _Yaaang_ ," the brunette groused, trying to get her unruly mop of red-tipped hair to lay back down. "You're messing with my rep, here!"

"You have a rep?" her sister asked bemusedly.

"Well… I'm _trying_ to get a rep," Ruby conceded. "Right now, it's not so hot."

"Eh, give it a few centuries," Jack smirked as he pulled out a cigar and lit it with an old stainless-steel lighter. "You'll get there, kiddo."

"Yeah, well…" Ruby looked down at the tabletop, grimacing slightly. "I wouldn't have even made it this far if it weren't for you, Jack. So, y'know… thanks. Again."

"Ain't nothin' but a thing, girlie," the man chuckled. "'Sides which, I had to get the two of you back together again, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Yang grinned widely, snaking her arm around to give her sibling a hug around the neck. "Even if you weren't an old pirate, I'd still love ya to pieces for doing that, Jack."

"I'm so glad I don't have to actually breathe anymore," the brunette wheezed from somewhere in the vicinity of the blonde's armpit.

Just then, the front door opened once more, this time to admit a small figure wrapped up in an elegant, long white overcoat and a pale blue knit hat and scarf combination which failed to conceal the snow-white hair that spilled down her back.

With the speed that Ruby burst from the blonde's smothering embrace, one would think she had the Celerity discipline common to those of the Brujah clan like her sister.

"Weiss!"

Both fledglings went down in a tangle of limbs when the brunette collided with her fellow Ventrue friend.

"Fuckwaffles," Ruby mumbled from the floor.

"Ruby Rose, get off of me this instant! I didn't skip out on a very important meeting just to be thrown to the floor of a bar!"

"Sorry, sorry… I'm, um, tangled up in your scarf…"

"Then untangle yourself! This floor is sticky and definitely unhygienic!"

After some wrangling, and assistance from both Yang and Nora, the pair of fledglings were soon standing once more. That didn't prevent Ruby from wrapping her friend up in a tight hug, however.

"I'm so glad you came! Thank you thank you thank you!"

"You are welcome, Ruby," the platinum blonde murmured, valiantly trying to conceal her smile from her effervescent friend's antics. "It _is_ Christmas, after all."

"Awww, lookit you, Ice Queen," Yang chuckled, resting a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Did my lil' sis thaw out that _Weiss_ -cold heart?"

"Oh, do shut up," Weiss groused. "And I have a name, you know, even if you insist on only using it with your terrible puns."

"Yep, that you do," Nora giggled as she handed the platinum-haired Kindred a bottle. "Ice Queen!"

"Actually, Neo says it should be Ice Princess," Jeanette commented as she stalked up. Ruby had finally released Weiss from her hug, but from the deer-in-the-headlights look upon the slender Ventrue, she might have wished to be back in the embrace. "And how have you been, snowflake?" the elder Kindred purred. "They have mistletoe here, you know…"

" _Eep,_ " Weiss squeaked, cowering back against Ruby as the other woman laughed gaily and strutted back off once more to join an amused Skelter in conversation.

"You know she does that kinda shit on purpose, right?" Yang murmured sympathetically. "If she can get a rise outta you, she'll keep doin' it."

"I can't help it," Weiss hissed, trying to regain her composure. "That woman is not right in the head!"

"Well, she _is_ a Malk," Nora concluded dryly.

"Okay, look," Ruby stated, holding her bottle aloft. "We're here, the four of us, so lemme give a toast, okay? To us and all of our friends who couldn't be here, Merry Christmas."

"Well said," Weiss murmured with a smile, tapping the neck of her bottle against Ruby's. "A very Merry Christmas to you all."

Yang and Nora reciprocated the gesture and all four fledglings took a long pull from their bottles.

"Y'know, Ice Queen," the blonde smirked after she pulled the bottle from her lips, smacking contentedly. "Night's still young, you could always drag Rubbles here under that mistletoe, I ain't gonna judge…"

" _Yaaang_ …"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Dongyrn A/N:** Fun fact, this is the only modern AU setting RWBY story I've written so far, and the only chapter to have the group celebrating Christmas instead of some variation of Yule. I managed to barely squeeze in Ruby's volatile reunion with Yang in the last chapter of _Blood_ , it was a near thing. And yes, I finally relented. Here is the official Arkos ship, enjoy it because it's not going to overtly make its way into the main story. Also, quirky Ruby is best Ruby.
> 
> I just regret I didn't have the time to pull Blake fully into the main story yet, so for now, she's missing from this chapter. She's off playing in the snow somewhere.
> 
> And my lovely Beta and co-author, **Silvana_Crowe** , read the previous paragraph and inserted her own little **omake** that I simply have to share with everyone.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Everything is silent in a snowfall laden hilly area. Blake is crouched down amidst the piles. She waits, still as can be, for the right moment when... _POUNCE_. Cut to later in a rather bland looking room. Blake is drying off from melted snow that seems to have somehow gotten everywhere. "You know, as much as any young panther needs to learn how to hunt, you should really choose better prey than a much more experienced wolf," says a smirking Beckett leaning on the wall nearby. Blake snorts slightly, toweling over her hair to hide her face and blossoming grin. It was a good Christmas.
> 
> * * *
> 
> So, that brings this little journey to a close. I hope you enjoyed the ride, and maybe took the time to check out some of my older stuff. As I mention in my notes from the last _Blood_ chapter, I'm putting that story on a brief hiatus so that I can work on another side project, I want to have it finished before posting any of it. Once done I'll pick back up with _Blood_ again.
> 
> Hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season, in any which way you prefer to celebrate it (if at all). The biggest thing to keep in mind is to hold those close to you that you care about, and always be mindful that it's a rough season for a lot of folks. Be gentle, be caring, and above all, be kind to one another.
> 
> Stay shiny, everyone!


End file.
